Gilbert Arenas: ‘I’m Back to my Old Self’

After spending half a season toiling in free agency, hoping an NBA team would pick him up, Gilbert Arenas is finally back. Last night, while in L.A. to take on the Clippers with his new Memphis squad, Arenas described what it feels like to have restarted his professional bball career. Via ESPN: “After missing the first four months of this NBA season following his ouster from Orlando, Gilbert Arenas is back on the court. And that alone is enough to bring out the big grin that was once plastered on the point guard’s face. ‘I’m just back to my old self — laid back, funny guy,’ Arenas said with a smile after his second game with the Memphis Grizzlies, a 101-85 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center. ‘Last couple years I was just stressed (laughs). Right now I’m just trying to get back to my own element.’ After garnering interest from a few teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Arenas worked out for the Grizzlies earlier this week and signed with the team on Tuesday for a reported $300,000 (on top of the hefty sum he’s still receiving from the Magic after being waived via the amnesty clause before the season). Arenas said it was important that everyone on the team was accepting of him before his arrival — ‘I need all 100 people on board!’ he said with a chuckle — but since then, things have been a bit of a blur. ‘I was in Memphis for a day,’ said Arenas, who chose to add a one to the numeral he’s known for on his new Grizzlies jersey. “I went to go try out, and in my mind I thought it was going to be like in L.A. (with the Lakers): tryout, I go back home and they call me. It was like, tryout, take the physical, meet the team in Portland. It happened so fast.'”